Iran newspaper cockroach cartoon controversy: Difference between revisions
No dacy! I think that it is directly related to "Possible foreign interference" |
Hajji Piruz (talk | contribs) who says it was the police that did it? In riots people get beaten up, for all we know this guy was against the protests and got beaten up by rioters. No one else seems to be hurt... |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[Image:Iran Azeri Cartoon.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Cartoon that started the controversy. The boy trys to address the cockroach using different forms of ''Soosk'' ([[Farsi]] word for cockroach) but it only answers ''Namana'' ([[Azeri language]] for ''What?'')]] |
[[Image:Iran Azeri Cartoon.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Cartoon that started the controversy. The boy trys to address the cockroach using different forms of ''Soosk'' ([[Farsi]] word for cockroach) but it only answers ''Namana'' ([[Azeri language]] for ''What?'')]] |
||
[[Image:Southazerbaijan-cartoonprotest.jpg|thumb|200px|right| |
[[Image:Southazerbaijan-cartoonprotest.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Protestor beaten by Police{{fact}}]] |
||
The '''Azeri cartoon controversy in "Iran" newspaper''' arose over a cartoon, published in the [[Iran]]ian state-run newspaper ''Iran'' and drawn by the cartoonist [[Mana Neyestani]], an ethnic [[Iranian Azeris|Azeri]] himself <ref>{{cite news |title=Cockroach Cartoonist Jailed In Iran |url=http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/cockroach_cartoonist_jailed_in_iran/ |work=The Comics Reporter |date=May 24, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |title=Iranian paper banned over cartoon |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5008420.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |date=May 23, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=IFJ Criticises “Political Interference” as Cartoons Rows Put Journalists in Jail in Iran and Jordan |url=http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=3956&Language=EN |work=[[International Federation of Journalists]] |date=June 3, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=IRAN: Azeris unhappy at being butt of national jokes |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=53543&SelectRegion=Asia&SelectCountry=IRAN |format= |work=[[IRIN]] |publisher=[[United Nations]] [[Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]] (OCHA) |date=May 25, 2006}}</ref>. The cartoon, published in the children's section of the newspaper on May 12, 2006, allegedly insulted the [[Azerbaijani people]] by depicting a child speaking in [[Farsi]] to a cockroach, which was replying in the [[Azerbaijani language]], saying "''namana''" ("''what?''"). |
The '''Azeri cartoon controversy in "Iran" newspaper''' arose over a cartoon, published in the [[Iran]]ian state-run newspaper ''Iran'' and drawn by the cartoonist [[Mana Neyestani]], an ethnic [[Iranian Azeris|Azeri]] himself <ref>{{cite news |title=Cockroach Cartoonist Jailed In Iran |url=http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/cockroach_cartoonist_jailed_in_iran/ |work=The Comics Reporter |date=May 24, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |title=Iranian paper banned over cartoon |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5008420.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |date=May 23, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=IFJ Criticises “Political Interference” as Cartoons Rows Put Journalists in Jail in Iran and Jordan |url=http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=3956&Language=EN |work=[[International Federation of Journalists]] |date=June 3, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=IRAN: Azeris unhappy at being butt of national jokes |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=53543&SelectRegion=Asia&SelectCountry=IRAN |format= |work=[[IRIN]] |publisher=[[United Nations]] [[Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]] (OCHA) |date=May 25, 2006}}</ref>. The cartoon, published in the children's section of the newspaper on May 12, 2006, allegedly insulted the [[Azerbaijani people]] by depicting a child speaking in [[Farsi]] to a cockroach, which was replying in the [[Azerbaijani language]], saying "''namana''" ("''what?''"). |
||
Revision as of 16:44, 14 June 2007
The Azeri cartoon controversy in "Iran" newspaper arose over a cartoon, published in the Iranian state-run newspaper Iran and drawn by the cartoonist Mana Neyestani, an ethnic Azeri himself [1][2][3][4]. The cartoon, published in the children's section of the newspaper on May 12, 2006, allegedly insulted the Azerbaijani people by depicting a child speaking in Farsi to a cockroach, which was replying in the Azerbaijani language, saying "namana" ("what?").
The controversy resulted in massive riots throughout Iran in May 2006, most ostensibly in the predominantly Azerbaijani-populated city of Tabriz. The riots were violent in some cases, with protestors damaging public buildings and throwing stones, prompting the reaction from the Iranian police.[5] According to the Amnesty International:
In May [2006], widespread demonstrations took place in mainly Azerbaijani north-western towns and cities in protest at the publication of a cartoon offensive to Azerbaijanis in the state-run Iran newspaper. Hundreds, if not thousands, were arrested and scores reportedly killed by the security forces, although official sources downplayed the scale of arrests and killings.[6]
The Iranian government promptly responded to the events by temporarily shutting down the Iran newspaper, arresting the cartoonist and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Mehrdad Ghasemfar. It further accused "outside forces in playing nationalistic card". [7]
Possible foreign interference
See also: Iran's ethnic minorities and foreign interference Emad Afrough, head of the Majlis Cultural Commission at the time, said that pan-Turks were involved in creating the tensions.[8] Video[9] and pictures[10] did show some protestors who were exhibiting the terrorist [11][12] pan Turkic Grey Wolves symbol[13][14][15]. The symbol is also used by the Grey Wolves of Turkey and Azerbaijan Republic, and may hint at possible foreign interference, as there were suspicions in Iran that pan-Turks were involved in inciting the some of the protests.[8] Other members of the Iranian government blamed it on the United States, Israel, and the United Kingdom with a suspicion of inciting ethnic strife in Iran.
Seymour Hersh brought widespread attention to claims of covert operations in Iran when he reported in an April 2006 New Yorker article that US troops in Iran were recruiting local ethnic populations, including the Azeris, to encourage local tensions that could undermine the regime. According to Seymour Hersh:
As of early winter, I was told by the government consultant with close ties to civilians in the Pentagon, the units were also working with minority groups in Iran, including the Azeris, in the north, the Baluchis, in the southeast, and the Kurds, in the northeast...™[16]
According to Touraj Atabaki, well known expert on Iran's Azerbaijani minority, there might be some truth behind Iranian government's allegations of a foreign plot, yet the responsibility for the unrest lies first and formost with the central government. [17]
Slogans
Protestors used various slogans during demonstrations.
- “Down with Chauvinism!”,
- “Azerbaijani nation will not bow to such abasements!”,
- “When North and South Azerbaijan will unite, Tabriz will be its center!”
- “Death or Independence!”, “Coward governor, come and answer to this!”,
- “Iran newspaper has to be closed!” [18]
Some of the slogans, chanted by the crowd were anti-Persian, Anti-Armenian, and Anti-Russian. Some of the slogans included[19]:
- "Fars dili-It Dil" (translation: "Persian is the language of a dog")
- "Azeri: Fars, Rus, Armani , Azerbaijan Dushmani" (translation: "Persians, Russians, Armenians are the enemies of Azerbaijan")
- "Har kas ki bitaraf dir, fars daan daa bi sharaf dir" (translation: "Whoever does not take sides [in the protests], has less integrity than a Persian")
- "Tabriz , Baki, Ankara , Biz haraa Farslaar Haraa" (translation: "Tabriz, Baku, Ankara---Where are we, where are Persians")
See also
References
- ^ "Cockroach Cartoonist Jailed In Iran". The Comics Reporter. May 24, 2006.
- ^ "Iranian paper banned over cartoon". BBC News. May 23, 2006.
- ^ "IFJ Criticises "Political Interference" as Cartoons Rows Put Journalists in Jail in Iran and Jordan". International Federation of Journalists. June 3, 2006.
- ^ "IRAN: Azeris unhappy at being butt of national jokes". IRIN. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). May 25, 2006.
- ^ Iran Focus
- ^ Amnesty Intrenational. Iran, Annual Report, 2007
- ^ Daria Vaisman. "The other cartoon protests: Large demonstrations broke out across Iran in May 2006 to protest a cartoon insulting to Azeris", The Christian Science Monitor, May 22, 2007
- ^ a b Iran-daily
- ^ Youtube
- ^ Group of pan Turk Grey Wolves
- ^ http://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/story33.html
- ^ http://www.ciaonet.org/olj/sa/sa_apr00prk01.html
- ^ Devlet Bahtseli using the hand gesture
- ^ Alpsalan Turkes, a key figure of the MHP and the Grey Wolves, using the hand gesture
- ^ Turkish members of the Grey Wolves, holding the MHP party flag and exhibiting the Grey Wolf hand gesture
- ^ (Seymour M. Hersh, the Iran Plam, the New York , April 2006) fact?currentPage =3.
- ^ Iran: Cartoon protests signal Azeri frustration
- ^ [1]
- ^ Both pan-Turkists and Iranian nationalist websites mentioned these slogans. Amongst the pan-Turkist sites: [2],[3], [4]. An Azeri weblog believing in Iran's territorial integrity has mentioned these slogans as well: [5]. Amongst news sites: [6]
